


A meta on the father and son themes in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

by shadowkat67



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Comics), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: Fandom Allusions & Cliches & References, Gen, Literary References & Allusions, Meta, Mythology References
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-03-15
Updated: 2010-03-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:55:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22408285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadowkat67/pseuds/shadowkat67
Kudos: 1





	A meta on the father and son themes in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Back in the 1980s, when I was studying mythology, specifically ancient mythology - specifically the mythology of ancient cultures, many that dated long before Hebrew or Christian religions, such as Mesopotamian and Babylonian, as well as Egyptian and Greek and Hebrew...I stumbled upon an emerging pattern - which astonished me at the time. Not so much now. What I discovered is a recurring thematic in all our stories, whether they be a literary work of art such as James Joyce's _Ulysess_ or Sophocles' _Oedipus Rex_ and _Electra_ , or a cult modern story such as **Buffy the Vampire Slayer**. A theme about fathers, sons, and mothers...and the often neglected daughter that lies at the center of many religious mythologies and theologies as well as our folk tales, fairy tales, and oral narratives, that is so deeply rooted in our collective consciousness that when it is tweaked we often will react to it, often with irrational passion, and without realizing it.

In the ancient Druidic tradition, practiced in pre-Christian Ireland, England, France, and a good portion of Northen Europe, which at that time was inhabited by the Celts - before William the Conqueror, and prior to Julius Cesear - the religion was focused on the Goddess, or Mother, the earth, with the Moon her consort. This religion was actually fairly monothesist in that there was one god or rather goddess, Mab, and she had consorts. This may explain why it was easier to merge the Celtic Pagan Tradition with the Roman Christian Tradition.

Northern Europe was tree lined, and water ridden, with primeval forests, and mountains, deep valleys, glaciers, and pits. The moon ruled the tides. Water flooded land. The Sun was a friend, yet rarely seen, since the sky darkened early, and stayed dark long, and the primeval forest blocked it out. And the oceans separated regions. Earth was God, not sky. The life-giver and devourer. She had a mouth and it had teeth. If you didn't give her your blood, she would not provide you with her life. Yet she was beautiful in her bounty, spurting forth flowers and fruit if you loved her. The ancients, much like we do today, had their rituals. Which an outsider may well view as barbarbic. But in most cases...they were no different the rituals we practice now, mere pagentry, not actual. At least not in most cases. Humans weren't really sacrificed. Any more than Christians really eat the body and blood.

 _The Mabinogi Legends of Wales_ , as well as the Arthurian Tradition (which is actually part of those legends, by the way) - speak of these rituals. Fantasy writers, Guy Gaverial Kay wrote about them in _The Fionavar Tapestry_ , as did Pamela Dean in _Tam Lin_ , and of course, Hans Christian Anderson in the marvelous fairy tale entitled _The Snow Queen_ \- about a girl traveling to the snowy reaches of the North to save her beloved friend from the Winter Queen who whisked him away. Each is a tale about the devoted son and his lover/mother, with the unknowable father far above, and the maid/sister coming to rescue him or dying with him, their love magic bringing forth a new year on earth. How he dies as they mate. In _the Snow Queen_ \- she whisks him away to her cold dark realm, and he is rescued by her daughter, Summer. For the Celt tradition - the mother had many aspects, she was the maid, the mother, the crone. And in stories from _The Iron Dragon's Daughter_ to Keat's _Collected Fairy Tales_...this strange dance is replayed.

But that is only one side of the mythos, the part that comes from the places of the moon, where the desert is made of water, and the blood moon rules its tides. The sun in contrast providing nothing but warmth and comfort, the earth sanctuary from the water's monsterous moods. The other part of the mythos...comes from the lands of the sun, where the desert is made of earth and sand, and water is a comfort that few can find, the moon a calming eddy. In the lands of the sun, God is the sky. Always visible and merciless. Providing searing heat, and at times cooling rain. Here God is male, not female. And his fury is felt with dust storms, and wind, and lightening. In the places of olive trees, sand, and sun - it is the unknowable, unseen, yet always watching father Sun that rules the day.

In these lands, the mythos that rose up, is not unsimilar to the places of the moon. The son still sacrifices himself to save the land, to save the people. But he is sent by the father, who impregnates a human mother, who gives birth to a son, who is summarily killed by his own people...to save the world. We see this happening in Egyptian myth with Osiris. And in Greek with Hercules, the son of Zeus and the daughter of a human mother that Zeus impregnated. We see it in Roman and in the land of the Hebrews - with Abraham sacrificing Jacob, or the Prophet Jesus. And we finally see it in Christianity with the tale of Jesus who is born of Mary, and dies brutally on the cross, crucified, by the people he wishes to save. (Please do not misunderstand. I'm not saying that story of Jesus is not true or that I do not believe in it, necessarily, I'm just saying it is striking that it is a story that has in other ways, been told before. Or rather a portion of it has. That does not mean it is any less true. Just because the story has been told in another way, by another person, in the distant past. Doesn't mean it can't be true or is invalid.)

In **the Buffy the Vampire Slayer** \- Joss Whedon plays with the same mythos. The son, the mother, the daughter, the unknowable father. It's perhaps the most universal of themes and therefor the most effective. We all have parents after all. And as a result of that fact, we all have mommy and daddy issues. It is the one thing that we have in common. Some of us may have children. Some may have spouses. But everyone has parents. So as a result our stories sooner or later focus on them.

If anything can be gained from reviewing the history of the writer..and I believe it can, since that is in part what I was taught in school and do we ever move past that completely? Joss Whedon we are told via countless interviews and biographical data - was the child of divorce. He was raised by his mother. While he had brothers and definitely spent time with them, they appear to have been raised mainly by his father. He was to a degree his mother's favorite son, her devoted son. He has taken on her causes, and he wrote Buffy the Vampire Slayer in her memory. It was written for his mom. His father, a successful television scribe, with connections in Hollywood, got him his first job. But he'd also established a life for himself away from Mom. The actors that Whedon hired to play the roles in his series, reported similar experiences, not uncommon in this world. Sarah Michelle Gellar was an only child of a single mother, whose father had abandoned her, and later committed suicide. James Marsters was the child of divorce, who had been devoted to his mother, until he got rebellious and sent off to his father, or something to that effect.

Writer's tend to take that which they know best and incorporate it into their work. And even if he hadn't the themes he chose to address in this story are common and universial ones - which garnered him an international fanbase.

We have the absentee father - set up early with Hank Summers...who divorces Joyce, and sees Buffy on Holidays or during the summer. His visits with his daughter become less and less frequent over time. Meanwhile we've got Giles, the substitute father, the Watcher, who acts as a reluctant surrogate and like Hank, also retreats from her over time - often stating that he is doing it for her own good. While Buffy realizes it really has more to do with him - as she states in the episode Flooded, I'm guessing your return here or rather mine is inconveinent. She figures out he preferred his life in England, his friends, Olivia. And she never is quite sure of his approval. He remains outside of her reach. And Hank, the father she'd loved, and cared for, disappears entirely once she becomes the slayer. The more Buffy evolves as the slayer, the further away her father goes.

He is replaced in part by Giles, but to a much larger degree by Angel. Who plays out with Buffy much the same dance that Hank played out with Joyce.

In Season One episode _Nightmares_ \- Buffy has this interaction with Hank Summers, who is telling her in her nightmare come to life that he left because of her. That his marriage with Joyce did not work because of something she did:

>   
>  Hank: Well, c'mon, honey, let's, let's sit down. (they sit) (exhales)  
>  You're old enough now to know the truth.
> 
> Buffy: Is there someone else?
> 
> Hank: No. No, it was nothing like that.
> 
> Buffy: Then what was it?
> 
> Hank: It was you.
> 
> Buffy: Me?
> 
> Hank: Having you. Raising you. Seeing you everyday. I mean, do you have  
>  any idea what that's like?
> 
> Buffy: What?
> 
> Hank: Gosh, you don't even see what's right in front of your face, do  
>  you? Well, big surprise there, all you ever think about is yourself. You  
>  get in trouble. You embarrass us with all the crazy stunts you pull, and  
>  do I have to go on?
> 
> Buffy: No. Please don't.
> 
> Hank: You're sullen and... rude and... you're not nearly as bright as I  
>  thought you were going to be... Hey, Buffy, let's be honest. Could you  
>  stand to live in the same house with a daughter like that?
> 
> Buffy: Why are you saying all these things? (a tear rolls down her  
>  cheek)
> 
> Hank: Because they're true. I think that's the least we owe one  
>  another.
> 
> She begins to sniff and cry.
> 
> Hank: You know, I don't think it's very mature, getting blubbery when  
>  I'm just trying to be honest. Speaking of which, I don't really get  
>  anything out of these weekends with you. So, what do you say we just  
>  don't do them anymore?
> 
> She stares at him in shock. He pats her on the leg.
> 
> Hank: I sure thought you'd turn out differently.
> 
> He gets up and leaves. Buffy can't do anything but watch him go for a  
>  moment, and then look down. He walks past the building, and Billy is  
>  there looking at Buffy. She looks up again and sees him. Billy turns and  
>  leaves. Buffy fights back the tears.

Now here is a scene from Season 2, Innocence, after Buffy and Angel have had sex and she visits him again in his apartment to find out what happened to him. He had left her after their lovemaking, alone. No word. And she's been worrying about it. She doesn't know that Angel has lost his soul.

>   
>  Buffy: Ohhh. Oh, my God! (hugs him again) I was freaking out! You just  
>  disappeared.
> 
> Angelus: What? I took off. (goes to his bed for the shirt)
> 
> Buffy: (confused) But you didn't say anything. You just left.
> 
> Angelus: (pulls on the shirt) Yeah. Like I really wanted to stick  
>  around after that.
> 
> Buffy: What?
> 
> Angelus: You got a lot to learn about men, kiddo. Although I guess you  
>  proved that last night.
> 
> Buffy: What are you saying?
> 
> Angelus: Let's not make an issue out of it, okay? (goes for his coat)  
>  In fact, let's not talk about it at all. (pulls it on) It happened.
> 
> Buffy: I, I don't understand. Was it m-me? (meekly) Was I not good?
> 
> Angelus: (laughs) You were great. Really. (snidely) I thought you were  
>  a pro.
> 
> Buffy: How can you say this to me?
> 
> Angelus: Lighten up. It was a good time. It doesn't mean like we have  
>  to make a big deal.
> 
> Buffy: It *is* a big deal!
> 
> Angelus: It's what? Bells ringing, fireworks, a dulcet choir of pretty  
>  little birdies? (laughs) Come on, Buffy. It's not like I've never been  
>  there before.
> 
> He reaches his hand up to her face and she jerks back.
> 
> Buffy: Don't touch me.
> 
> Angelus: (shakes his finger at her) I should've known you wouldn't be  
>  able to handle it. (starts to go)
> 
> Buffy: Angel! (he stops and faces her) (teary-eyed) I love you.
> 
> Angelus: (points coolly at her) Love you, too. (turns away) I'll call  
>  you.
> 
> He goes out the door. Buffy can only watch him go, extremely upset and  
>  confused.  
> 

In both cases, she is rejected. In both, the man leaves...goes out the door, leaving her behind in tears. She looks forward to seeing him and he dumps her cold, treats her as if she is nothing.

Later in Season 3, Angel leaves Buffy for her own good, believing if he stays she will die. He give her a speech about wanting to protect her heart. His view is it is his role to protect her. The last straw - the thing that motivates him to leave her - is when she forces hims to drink her blood to save his life. He almost kills her and rushes her to the hospital in the nick of time. Realizing that she is protecting him, saving him. He realizes this again in I Will Always Remember You - where once again Buffy saves Angel. Buffy defeats the demon. He can only be the champion, the protector, after he rewinds time and sends her on her way. To add insult to injury, Angel starts a new life without her, much as her father did before him, and in LA no less. Angel much like Hank, gets involved with another woman, has a child, and starts a family of sorts in LA. He drops in on Buffy, but makes it clear that she is not part of his life and should not be in his city. He shuts her out. In S7 - we realize the extent, when Buffy enviously looks at Faith and states, you were in Angel's head? Faith the wayward daughter, the daughter who had no father, and desperately seeks one, finds redemption via Angel - who in some respects sees in Faith, a kindred soul and confides in her, in a way he never does to Buffy. Faith like Drusilla before her...is the daughter Angel has power over, he can save or corrupt.

Meanwhile, in the background, we have Xander - who is the opposite of Angel. He is the devoted sidekick, the son. He stays by Buffy's side through thick and thin. He goes to Angel for help in Prophecy Girl, but it is notably Xander who saves Buffy's life. And it is through Xander's eyes that we often see Buffy.

Enter Riley, the human version of Angel. Like Angel he enters as Buffy's protector. Their first interaction is Riley protecting or attempting to protect Buffy. But Buffy ends up protecting him. She saves him. He can't save her. He can't be her protector. She doesn't need him in that role. So off he goes, much like Angel before him, and finds a woman who does need him. Who he does literally save and who joins his mission. Just as Angel literally saves Cordelia and Cordelia joins Angel's mission, Sam is literally saved by Riley and joins his. When he returns, he also lets Buffy know, much as Angel has, that they have moved on, that they are beyond her reach somehow, unknowable.

As Riley departs, Spike is revealed, Xander's counterpart. The devoted son. The son who will literally die to save the mother. Who fights the father for her attention. Who rails at the father for leaving her behind. Spike - we see rail at both Rupert and Riley, stating both are beneath Buffy, undeserving of her, that she has moved beyond them. As Xander railed at Angel for his treatment of Buffy, Spike rails at Giles and Riley.

And much like Xander, it is Spike who stays behind and takes care of Dawn when Buffy dies. Spike and Xander take turns being Dawn's male care-giver. One ends up with her. One ends is sent packing. Older brothers. Reluctant fathers. Both, unlike Riley and Angel, know Dawn, and would give their lives to save her's. It is Spike that Buffy leaves Dawn with and asks on numerous occassions to protect Dawn, and it is in season 7, Xander that Buffy requests take care of Dawn or help Dawn.

Also, both Xander and Spike in S7 are placed on the crucifix and bleed to bring forth monsters from the hellmouth. The first evil sees Spike as the son to bleed to free its hordes. The son that has abandoned it. The First Evil and Buffy fight over Spike. When Buffy wins, Spike gives his life to bring about life. His soul literally burns up within him for love or her. The son crucified for the mother.

Yet he doesn't do it without help, the absentee father...provides the amulet. Provides the means that allows Spike to sacrifice himself. Neither know what the amulet does, but the trust this unknowable father figure to lead them. Once Spike is resurrected, he is stuck with Angel, stuck fighting with Angel, unable to return to the mother, Buffy. He finally chooses to help Angel and to let her go.

In the comics, Whedon appears to be revisiting these themes.

We have Buffy flirt with Xander, then meet Riley in a dress - and flirt with him. Then, she ends up face to face with Angel - the primal reflection of her father issues. He is the demon version of Hank Summers. The father she can't have. The man who leaves. Who stays outside of her reach. She yearns for his protection, his approval. He is the Iron Dragon. The Sun God. The Skybully. Hercules. And Osiris. She dances with him in the sky, and it is in the sky that they make love. Their act resulting in chaos. Until she stabs him, kills him dead. Or he kills her. They cannot be friends these two. They will shag til it makes them quiver, then hate until it makes them dead.

But the story is not over. We still have act II. The devoted son. The demon son. The boy who mated with the mother and died for her to be reborn and escape upwards into the land above. The son of the goddess. Who sits in her underbelly. Her animus. Her male self. The boy from the land of the moon and not the land of the sky. Who worships at the mother's feet.

Notably - Spike is shown getting his soul in a cave. He goes to the land of the sun, but sinks down into the earth to fight for his soul. And he gets it for her. Not for God. Not for the Powers. But her. The power he craves is her's. He wants to take it into himself. To be one with the mother. He is the Wicker Man in the mythos, burning alive to bring in the harvest.

If Angel is all about becoming worthy of his father, of taking his father's place, being powerful like the father. Spike is all about adoring the mother, conquering her, sacrificing himself to her, pledging his devotion to her, caring for her, fighting by her side and for her cause. He cannot save her - that is his hell. And he will die over and over again trying to.

We see this happen in Chosen. We see it happen in The Gift. We see it happen with Drusilla, his dark mother, in What's My Line - where he falls into the ashes and she rises from them, lifting her devoted son and lover to her shoulder with a kiss. We see it in Becoming, where he saves both Dru and Buffy, or attempts to, by rebelling against the father, Angelus. If he had to choose, Mother would always take precedence, that goes without saying. He is the son haunted by the father's betrayal and fearful of becoming his father.

When men tell a woman's tale, they cannot help but make themselves a major part of it often the center of it. Or so it appears to me. It is still more a tale about them, than it is about the girl at the center of it. Whedon is no different. He sees her story through the eyes of a devoted and adoring son. He rails against the father who betrayed her. And rails at the son he couldn't be. Much like Oedipus he is blind and cannot quite see her clearly at all. Her power is the power he gives her, or curses her with. It is the power he covets. It is the power he wishes to protect.

Satsu...even Satsu...is a representation of the devoted son or perhaps, the devoted daughter? A woman who worships Buffy. Who follows her lead. Who loves her no matter what. Satsu saves Buffy in The Long Way Home - providing her with true love's kiss. Her daughter, birthed from her power.

Spike's speech in Touched is the son's speech to his mother, his goddess - I love all that you are, you are the one! It is the speech of acolyte, a man who loves purely and absolutely. Just as Xander's speech in both Dirty Girls, before he loses his eye becomes blinded, and later in Twilight Issue #33, echos it...he sees Buffy as his hero, his idol, the person who is needed most, who he feels privileged to follow to the ends of the earth. In contrast Riley and Angel act like fathers...protectors, providing approval, or smug dissent. They are the father's that abandoned her, that rejected her, that she wistfully yearns for, and cannot forgot.

While Joyce oddly...remains hidden barely seen. The mother who had been with her through it all. No mention. Outside of Buffy occassionally stating, I really miss my Mom. The mothers in this tale are largely associated with Willow. Willow who is all about mother issues. Willow who seeks out mother figures. And much like Spike and Xander, worships the mother. Follows her to the ends of the earth. Willow's magic is all about the earth. As is Buffy's. Fuck the sky. In Buffy's case, literally.

Okay, I hope that made sense. And I didn't offend anyone. Far more poetical than intended. But brain has been eaten by work and these are the words that flowed outwards after much fretting. Make of it what you will.


End file.
